1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing program material to subscribers, and in particular to a method and system for integrating a national media program broadcast with existing regional radio broadcasts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Media programming, such as audio programs, are distributed to viewers by a variety of broadcasting methods. These methods include traditional amplitude modulated (AM) and frequency modulated (FM) analog broadcast radio, and audio channels carried by direct broadcast television providers such as DIRECTV Inc. In the near future, digital broadcast radio such as the Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) envisioned by XM RADIO, Inc., will also be available. When it becomes available, SDARS will provide subscribers with new, previously unavailable high quality media services, even in mobile environments like the automobile. The SDARS system uses one or more satellites to broadcast audio and advanced multimedia programs. The satellite broadcasts can be received directly by subscriber receivers at home, at business locations, or in mobile vehicles. The satellite broadcasts will also be received and retransmitted by terrestrial repeaters to provide improved coverage and availability. This technique is especially useful for mobile receivers operated in urban areas with multi-story structures, which may cause shadowing.
SDARS provides superior transmission quality and diversity of choice of programming. However, many potential customers have become accustomed to listening to media programs transmitted by their local AM and FM radio stations, and are likely to remain loyal to these media programs. This listener allegiance to existing regional AM and FM radio programming from regional service providers may slow the acceptance of SDARS. One potential solution to this problem would be to simply broadcast all regional programs to all subscribers. However, this would present a confusing array of uninteresting media programs to a typical user, and requires agreements with a multitude of rights holders and requires enormous system capacity. What is needed is a system and method for making regional broadcasts xe2x80x9cappearxe2x80x9d available on digital satellite broadcasts to those listeners within the reception area of the regional broadcast provider and to provide some local content to the SDARS customer via the system itself. The present invention satisfies that need.
In summary, the present invention describes a system and method for receiving regional media programs transmitted by regional media providers. One embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of receiving a signal in a receiver disposed in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region, wherein the signal includes national media programs (optionally including a corresponding electronic program guide) intended for reception in the national broadcast region, and regional media programs (optionally including a corresponding electronic program guide) intended for reception only in the local broadcast regions, determining the local broadcast region, and providing only the regional media programs intended for reception in the determined local broadcast region.
In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a receiver for receiving regional media programs in one of a plurality of local broadcast regions within a national broadcast region. The receiver comprises a tuner for receiving a first signal from a satellite, wherein the first signal comprises national media programs (and optional electronic program guides) intended for reception in the national broadcast region and regional media programs (and optional electronic program guides) intended for reception only in the local broadcast region, a second tuner module for receiving a second signal from a repeater serving the local broadcast region, the second signal comprising at least one regional media program and a local broadcast ID, a location module for determining the local broadcast region, and a controller module for providing only that local media programs intended for reception in the determined local broadcast region.
In addition to distributing regional media programs, the present invention provides a device and method for distributing channel and program information (both text and graphics) for existing analog radio services (such as the AM and FM services provided in the United States), and to enable the presentation of a uniform electronic program guide (EPG) to be provided for both the existing services and the new services. The invention provides EPG information for the existing services via a nationwide satellite broadcast (e.g. via SDARS) and also via a repeater network such as the SDARS terrestrial repeater network. The repeater network can simply rebroadcast the satellite broadcast, or alternatively, filter the national broadcast, store, and replay the newly created local multimedia information (television, audio, data, text, graphics, etc.) and EPG data solely to the local area. The EPG information for all channels (local AM, local FM, national and regional media programs) are received and displayed by the user""s receiver.
Thus, the present invention allows accelerated acceptance of SDARS-like systems because customers can experience their familiar, favorite, AM and FM channels in the same xe2x80x9clinear spacexe2x80x9d as the new channels. In one embodiment, the present invention also presents an EPG that has roughly the same detail regarding local and national stations. The present invention is also beneficial to existing media service providers, because it allows the media to currently broadcast on AM and FM channels to be provided to customers who would otherwise have been dissuaded by poor or marginal reception quality.
In a further embodiment, new regional programs are broadcast nationally and the locally re-broadcast repetitively via the repeater network. This reduces the local subscriber""s xe2x80x9cwaiting timexe2x80x9d for information of local interest.